Monster Chronicles: My Daoist Skill Comes from Mythology
Chapter 154 - 149: Wuxi City, A Well-Connected Great Demon (3/3)

Chapter 154: Chapter 149: Wuxi City, A Well-Connected Great Demon (3/3)

Mountain Top Taoist Temple, inside the secret chamber.

Song Lin abruptly opened his eyes, a trace of lightning flashing within them.

"Huff..."

He let out a long breath. The switching between two worlds—nothing felt more disorienting than this sense of misalignment.

Time dragged long on one side, while it raced short on the other.

The confusion between the two could easily lead to a muddled mind.

At this moment, Song Lin needed a long while to overcome it.

"What a pity—I still haven’t found the opportunity to break through Core Formation." Song Lin thought to himself.

Breaking through Core Formation was no simple feat; although he was just one step away, countless individuals throughout history had been stuck at this stage.

Core Formation Stage extended one’s lifespan by a thousand years. With additional means, one could live even longer.

In certain myths, Core Formation Stage was enough to meet the lowest threshold of becoming an immortal.

Song Lin opened his right palm, revealing arcs of platinum-colored lightning erupting from it.

Six Yang White Gold Divine Thunder was a specialized type of spell—against ordinary people, its power was on par with the Five Thunders Heavenly Master’s Token, but against demons and malevolent spirits, its strength multiplied tenfold.

This was Divine Thunder.

Training this spell over nearly forty days was not bad.

The speed at which this spell unleashed lightning was three times faster than the Five Thunders Heavenly Master’s Token, capable of catching enemies off guard and killing them outright.

At this moment, a message arrived from the Blessing Meeting jade talisman.

"Hmm? Someone bought my cultivation technique?" Song Lin was somewhat surprised.

The cultivation technique had been listed for sale for dozens of days.

Since Song Lin only required dharma coins, and in this period marked by resource scarcity, almost no one was willing to spend money on cultivation techniques—after all, mastering them wasn’t something easily achieved.

He entered the main hall.

Song Lin saw a white-clad woman.

"Xuan Lady? Why is it you again?" Song Lin exclaimed in surprise.

Almost all of his cultivation techniques had been purchased by this person. Did she really lack techniques so much?

"We meet again, Taoist." Xuan Lady performed a respectful bow.

Song Lin didn’t intend to pry into her privacy, conducting the transaction decisively—a single cultivation technique for ten thousand dharma coins, five techniques totaling fifty thousand.

He used the Void Capturing Technique to complete the trade.

After the transaction, he returned to reality once more.

Since discovering the Heavenly Venerate’s secret, Song Lin rarely exchanged private items, especially cultivation techniques.

Crash!

Song Lin flew out of the chamber.

He arrived at the Capital Management Courtyard, where Shi Yinhua was alone, tending to duties within the Taoist Temple.

Seeing Song Lin, Shi Yinhua looked up, attempting to rise to offer a salute, only to be stopped.

"No need. How is the Taoist Temple faring?" Song Lin asked.

"It’s doing fine, mostly settling into routine. The Taoist Temple’s Moon Bricks are highly popular; we underestimated their demand last time—an annual output of two hundred thousand units may be achievable." Shi Yinhua replied.

This was likely the Taoist Temple’s most lucrative source of income.

"The Coin Casting Array is also up and running, generating around forty thousand yearly in revenue." Shi Yinhua added.

This, combined with the profits from Yin Soil and the Spirit Field Shop.

All together amounted to one hundred twenty thousand annually; when fully accounted, the total reached three hundred twenty thousand per year.

The temple’s expenditures amounted to roughly one hundred twenty thousand.

Which left an annual surplus of two hundred thousand.

"Very good. Begin cultivating talents in the alchemy room and artifact refining room—don’t shy away from spending money on this." Song Lin instructed.

The Xuanke Temple wasn’t a sect specializing in these areas, but at the very least, they needed to become self-sufficient.

Song Lin was just about to leave when he suddenly remembered something, addressing Shi Yinhua: "Set aside temple matters for now. Summon your people shortly and secretly head to this location..."

This place was near Wuxi City. Song Lin had an unshakable sense of foreboding.

...

Yun Xiao and others had long been waiting nearby.

The group exchanged greetings before Zhang Jingyun took out three invitations.

These invitations were pitch-black iron plates, engraved with mountain peak imagery.

They were Thunder Striking Mountain invitations.

"Let’s set out now; the event begins tomorrow." Zhang Jingyun said.

The group headed off in flight.

Wuxi City was in the barren hills to the west of Meilin County—a no man’s land.

Treacherous terrain, scarce human presence, and a high density of demons and monsters.

The Taoist Temple had no interest in the site—securing it would require immense manpower and resources to deal with the monsters.

Thus, they generally paid no attention to the Thunder Striking Mountain God, letting it guard the area, which paradoxically saved the temple significant resources.

Mei Mountain Jungle peaks.

Inside a secret chamber, Master Huoyun stood before rows of statues.

Even though it was night, the area remained brightly illuminated.

"The Mountain God’s birthday... ha, are you finally planning a rebellion?" Huoyun muttered to himself, emotion flashing indescribably in his eyes.

Huoyun had crossed paths with the Thunder Striking Mountain God before, several hundred years ago, though at the time Huoyun was merely a minor Divine Establishment cultivator.

The Capital Management Master from one of the Three Capitals arrived for an audience.

"Get up—only two of us here, what’s the need for such courtesy." Huoyun chuckled lightly, "Once the Dragon Abyss Conference concludes, the Phoenix Platform Dragon Throwing should follow, yes?"

"Rest assured, Taoist—I will certainly nominate you." The Capital Management Master offered his loyalty immediately.

The three capitals consisted of figures no longer capable of breaking through to the Purple Mansion—they clung to power, living out their remaining years indulging in luxury.

Each were old men over eight hundred years of age, nearing the end of their life spans, their sole wish being to savor as much affluence as possible before passing.

"Ah, there’s no need for such flattery—nominate whoever you wish, just follow your heart." Huoyun’s magnanimity shone through.

"This time, I hear Chi Hai, Kunwu, and Chaozhen are all expressing interest in competing." The Capital Management Master remarked.

But despite hearing the names, Huoyun remained attentive, responding with a magnanimous smile:

"I think both Chi Hai and Chaozhen seem promising. Let the contest unfold—I’ve stayed long enough in this seat. It’d be nice to step down and wander the world as a carefree Independent Immortal."

The positions above the jungle level weren’t simply inherited by designation.

Instead, representatives from both the Taoist School and the imperial court would oversee elections, with all temple masters and high-ranking figures casting their votes.

However, it wasn’t strictly one person, one vote. If the voter held a higher liturgical grade, the weight of their vote was greater.

"But isn’t your Fire Palace fused with the Mei Mountain Blessed Land already?"

The Mei Mountain Blessed Land was public property in Mei Mountain Jungle. Once a Taoist stepped down, they were meant to return anything that had been integrated.

Otherwise, if one Taoist took a piece, then the next took another piece, it wouldn’t take many cycles before everything was stripped bare.

"Rest assured, if I lose, the Mei Mountain Blessed Land will certainly be returned." Huoyun assured.

"That wasn’t my intention. By the way, my nephew recently..."

The Capital Management Master shifted the conversation.

"Do whatever you wish—so long as it doesn’t go overboard. After all, it’s just a mere business ambition." Huoyun replied calmly.

...

The night grew deeper, and the mountains under the dark sky stood like towering giants.

At the mountain’s base lay a brightly lit city.

The entire city was forged of steel, its walls towering thirty zhang high, and its gates cast from black iron—heavy and solemn, bearing mottled traces of copper rust.

Song Lin and his companions arrived at the site.

This was Wuxi City, inhabited by humans during the day, and demons at night.

Behind the city, an imposing peak soared skyward like a sword piercing the clouds—it was Emperor Sword Peak.

The three companions had entirely changed their appearances by now.

Song Lin consumed a Demon Transformation Pill, sprouting black deer antlers on his head and scattering black scales across his face—he now appeared as a Jiao-Dragon Demon.

Yun Xiao’s hair transformed into white feathers, her eye shadow turned a vivid red, and her pupils turned white—she became a Honghu Spirit.

Meanwhile, Yujing transformed into a bull-headed figure.

At this moment, Yujing wore a dissatisfied expression, evidently convinced he had drawn the short straw.

"Stop fussing—get ready to enter the city." Yun Xiao said in a low voice.

The city bustled with demons moving to and fro, an array of bizarre, grotesque forms.

Most of these demons had journeyed from afar to attend the banquet, their collective demon energy forming a blood-cloud in the sky overhead.

Song Lin couldn’t help but click his tongue in awe.

This Mountain God truly had staggering connections.

No wonder the Taoist School was wary; they had sent investigators to assess matters before making any moves.

If this entity were to rebel, it would surely bring catastrophic consequences.

The group entered the city. The streets resembled human night markets, with stalls lining both sides.

"Fresh boiled stew here! Fresh boiled stew!"

A blue-skinned Yaksha hawked loudly.

"Shopkeeper, give me a serving." A wolf-headed demon tossed down two dharma coins.

The shopkeeper lifted the pot’s lid, and steam rose forth, revealing human intestines and livers, alongside grimacing, unseeing heads.

It turned out to be human flesh!

Yujing looked utterly indifferent to the sight, as if he had long been aware of it; conversely, Yun Xiao and Song Lin appeared visibly shocked.

Yet upon reconsideration, they quickly understood.

Much like in Journey to the West, the ones hunted down were always those without backing—lowly demons and monsters. Someone like the Thunder Striking Mountain God, who shared ties with the Heavenly Master, was untouchable as long as they didn’t push things too far.

This was simply the way of the world.

If it weren’t for fears of the Thunder Striking Mountain God colluding with overseas demons to incite rebellion, no one would have investigated the matter thus far.

Soon, the group entered the Inner City.

Within the Inner City stood an immense palace.

The palace interior was spacious enough to accommodate tens of thousands.

Song Lin noted the majority were demons, though there were also a few humans dressed in Taoist robes—Zhang Jingyun and Yuzhen were among them.

At that moment, all the demons stood up.

Crash!

A black mist converged, forming the appearance of an elderly man clad in black garments.

He wore a goatee and had a benevolent, smiling countenance.

"Welcome, everyone, to my birthday feast. Before we begin, I have prepared a grand dish for everyone." The old man said.

...

(Lately, it seems no one’s been talking much. Is there no plot left?)

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